| I have a friend who is teaching at an inner city school | | | | start enjoying the process then you will be learning for |
| in New York City. Many of his students are children | | | | the rest of your life. What is "philosophy?" It literally |
| from difficult social circumstances and they question | | | | means the love of knowledge and hopefully that is |
| whether they will get anything out of being in school. | | | | what you will develop by the time you end your formal |
| Recently one of the students asked him what use is | | | | studies. |
| to it stay in school? From the perspective of a student | | | | One of the most important ingredients for success in |
| coming from a rough neighborhood, the question | | | | life is keeping the company of good people. If you |
| makes a lot of sense. I thought about it and here is | | | | hang out in negative crowd, then you are going to sink |
| how I would answer the question if I were in my | | | | to the level of your group. When you are in a formal |
| friends' position. | | | | education setting you can have a lot of good |
| The most important thing you get from a high school | | | | company. It comes in the form of teachers, fellow |
| (or college) education is that you learn how to think. | | | | students and even the great scientists, artists, thinkers |
| Whatever you are going to do in life, quick and original | | | | and doers of the past whose presence you can enjoy |
| and nimble thinking is rewarded. That's how humanity | | | | via books, film and recorded media. Hang out a bit with |
| got to where it is today. The various facts and figures | | | | Shakespeare, Aristotle, Galileo, Buddha or Plato and |
| that you will learn in school will be forgotten shortly | | | | you can't go wrong. |
| after you leave. In fact, even if you ask a PhD holder | | | | Hopefully and most importantly, if you stay in a formal |
| to take an exam shortly after leaving school he would | | | | education environment you will learn the values that |
| probably fail too. | | | | keep us civilized and moving in a positive direction. To |
| The "facts" that you learn in world history and world | | | | be educated is not just a matter of being "smart" but it |
| geography will probably even change with time, but if | | | | is a task of becoming "good." A lot of very intelligent |
| you can develop an ability to solve problems and face | | | | people have hurt humanity greatly. It is not enough to |
| new situations and uncover the unknown then this will | | | | be intelligent, but it is of vital importance to learn what |
| be an asset for you the rest of your life. | | | | will help humanity and what will hurt it and to always |
| Another lasting benefit of a high school or college | | | | act for the good of all. |
| education is that you "learn how to learn" and develop | | | | These are the main reasons why education is so |
| a love of learning. Do you think that your learning | | | | valuable. Oh yes, I forgot to mention, if you complete |
| process ends when you leave school? At age 18 or | | | | your high school or college course you will also get a |
| 22 will you have learned everything you need to | | | | certificate or credential that will help you to get a job! I |
| know? As someone who is long past 18, I can say | | | | mention this last because I am not a big believer in the |
| that learning can go on for the rest of your life. | | | | certificates. It is what you are and what you can do |
| Magazines, radio, newspapers, TV, the Internet and | | | | that really matters and if formal education can improve |
| who knows what information medium of the future all | | | | you in these two areas, then you should continue as |
| can supply you with a wealth of information. If you get | | | | long as you can. |
| into the habit of tuning into this flood of information and | | | | |